Gresham, Smith and Partners has hired Lesa N. Lorusso, NCIDQ, ASID, Allied AIA, as healthcare director of research and innovation. She will lead research strategy development for the firm’s healthcare market applying both empirical and design thinking methodologies that are collaborative, empathetic and focused around the people at the center of a problem to be solved.
Lorusso’s human-centered approach is rooted in her own life experiences. She grew up internationally and is a part of an extended military family—her father was a rescue helicopter and C-130 pilot and her mother an Air Force nurse. This passion for service extends to Lorusso’s industry involvement, as well. She is a member of Vital by Design, which is part of a research consortium at University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning. The group, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, is a national research collaborative that investigates and advances the impact of architecture and design on health. She is collaborating with the Veteran’s Administration on research that seeks to benefit the lives of veterans living with dementia.
A designer by training and licensure, Lorusso earned a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design at Wentworth Institute of Technology. She also earned a Master in Business Administration from Simmons College and a Master of Science in Architecture with a specialization in interior design from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lorusso is finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Florida in its College of Design, Construction & Planning.
